Sometimes, doing something with someone you love, be it a family member, friend, or significant other, is always a great experience. It can even bring memories that will last a lifetime for you and the person you love.
I am very fortunate to do life with my amazing husband, Joey. This weekend, May the 4th, we will celebrate five years of marriage. If you told us that we would be sports card collectors, I would say you were crazy but not surprised. We have done most of our things together and not much apart.
In my first article, “My Story is Our Story,” you can read about our collecting journey. We’ve gotten many questions during this journey when people see us together. Many people ask, “You go to shows together, but how do you ‘Collect Together’?” I wanted to share a few insights from our experience of collecting together. I hope this helps you become a better collector and partner and maybe one day share that passion if you don’t already.
What Is Your Passion?
What are you both genuinely passionate about? Joey and I love Philadelphia sports, especially the Phillies and Flyers. When it’s not Hockey season in our house, it’s Baseball season! We grew into collecting primarily baseball and collect our favorite players from the Phillies. Find something you share in common, whether it’s a sport, movie, comic, or TGC. If you attend baseball games, collect cards associated with those moments. You will always find something in common with collecting cards based on what you both are passionate about.
Open Communication
Communication is a core part of any relationship. We have one primary collection, so we are always open and communicating what we want to do with it, whether selling a card on eBay or deciding what new autograph to get. We always talk about the next steps for our collecting journey. Even if we don’t always agree, we constantly communicate what we want to do next.
Have Collecting Roles
In our relationship, Joey is numbers- and market-driven. He is always looking for good deals and knows when it’s okay to move on a card that we aren’t interested in having anymore. I am the organizer, so I’m finding the best ways to track our collection and sort all our cards. I also handle the listing and shipping of cards we sell. Talk about how you can work together and your role as a couple. It’s not the same for every couple, which brings us back to communication. Communicate your strengths and weaknesses to figure out the best roles for you!
Find Your Path!
Even though we collect a lot together, we have found our passions and collections. Joey is a big Bryson Stott fan. I believe it’s because Bryson Stott and I share the same birthday, but Joey says he’s just a big fan. He also started collecting a lot of Alec Bohm a few months back. I have been working on completing the Home Field Advantage and Topps Pin Sets. I like having a list of goals to complete regarding anything in life, especially collecting. So have your collections of things you want separate from what you like together!
Collecting Creates Memories
As our community continues to grow and invest in more families, bringing in a wide variety of products and topics to collect. In the end, collect something you love together or on your own. If you do that, enjoy your time together and create memories—what matters the most.
After five incredible years of marriage, we can’t wait for many more. Our love for each other and our passions grow every day. This quote sums up our love for each other, family, and hobby community.
“Love is when the other person’s happiness is more important than your own.” H. Jackson Brown Jr.